Russell County

Margie Hernandez, SNAP-Ed Assistant

Growing Your Own Food

Most migrant workers living with their families in Russell Springs do not have the space or resources to grow a garden.  The community garden was started several years ago by the Russell County Cooperative Extension Service to assist those families in growing, harvesting, and preserving vegetables. A Healthy Choices for Every Body program was conducted by the Russell County Cooperative Extension Service in collaboration with SNAP-Ed for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligible individuals. The Nutrition Education Program assistant conducted monthly sessions at the Russell County Extension office along with other topics of interest conducted by the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and the Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources.  Thirteen families (11 Hispanic and two Caucasian) participated in the community garden this year. Ten were returning families and 3 were new.  The program addressed topics such food preparation, using MyPlate as an eating guide, food resource management, food safety, and healthy food choices.  Each class included a cooking demonstration of a healthy recipe and participant tasting.  Participants were taught how to seed trays, properly plant, fertilize, and maintain a plot of land along with learning how to recognize common insects and diseases and how to control them.  Also, a food preservation workshop was conducted where they learned how to properly can and freeze their produce. With this new knowledge, the participants took measures when needed to prevent diseases in their crops and preserve their produce and save money.

Eleven families participated in seven or more lessons and completed the program.  Due to the abundance of this year’s harvest, the quantity of foods preserved tripled from last year.  Participants shared, “I was able to fill my freezer with vegetables from my garden”, and “The first year I participated in the garden, I had to give my excess tomatoes away, but now I know how to can them”.